Countryside Corner; Neighborly Garden News

Issue 75July 2018

Will Cities Become the New Refuge for Bees?

Recent studies from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and the University of Michigan, Flint, are highlighting the decline of bee populations in rural and suburban areas; as urban bees are expanding. Some of the known hazards to bees in the urban environment include: increased infestation from parasites, more competition for food, less desirable food-sources, and lastly; undocumented pesticide usage. Despite these obstacles to survival, results from the field studies at Lurie Garden in Chicago, Illinois have found not only have native bees colonized the pollinator gardens installed there, but they have also discovered new native bees, never before found in Illinois on the green-roof garden.

Lurie Gardens, Chicago, IL

Proceedings from the National Academy of Science has observed that during the years 2008-2013 the abundance of bees in the USA decreased most sharply in the midwest corn belt, and throughout California’s central valley; home to some of the most intensive agricultural farming in our country. They conclude by stating the primary cause of the decline was loss of natural habitat, more than pesticide use or climate change. Landscapes that are planted with a single crop (monoculture) like corn or wheat for endless acres, offer little or no habitat for bees. Some bees will feed off a number of plant species. Other species of bees are very specific to certain plants, and if it isn’t available, they will die out. In a meadow environment, with hundreds of species of plants, there will be an almost continual cycle of bloom of different flowers. A monoculture crop will only have one bloom period, over a few short weeks.

DIY Bee hotel

As cities become outposts, surrounded by less hospitable suburban and rural landscapes, more attention should be paid for designing with pollinators in mind. This concept is becoming more mainstream, as evidenced by the very public meadows that surround the Olympic park in London. The landscape planting there was designed with the future of Britain’s pollinator population in mind. The design for Lurie Park tries to replicate a near wild prairie habitat.

Fun fact; bees have been found to be flourishing in so-called ‘shrinking cities’ like Detroit and Cleveland due to their abundance of vacant lots. These wild areas offer a lot of diversity, and no one is spraying them with pesticides.

Bee hotel for native bees

Olympic Park, London

Olympic Park, London

The ugly flip side of planting exotic plants is that they also may be unintentionally favoring exotic non-native bees also. There are about 41 species of non-native bees present in the North America. One, Osmia Taurus, the Japanese mason bee, is poised to potentially out-compete our native blue orchard mason bee; which is an important pollinator of apple and cherry trees. Non-native honeybees will overwhelm and out-compete other native bees in the area of its hive. The take-away from this is we must recognize and support efforts to design and create pollinator friendly zones around, and throughout our cities. We must educate and legislate to try and re-populate areas that have shown such significant declines in bee population. It could be a simple as devoting the edges of fields to wildflowers or wild hedgerows. But can we be forceful enough to ban the most dangerous pesticides? Will we have the courage to limit the endless development that is fracturing open spaces, and destroying habitat? My hope is yes to all those questions. ​

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July’s ‘to-do’ list:

According to Drought.gov, almost 75% of our state is ‘abnormally dry’. Recent rains have helped, but we still remain far below typical levels of soil moisture. Let’s hope we don’t see a return to the ‘severe drought’ conditions we had only a short time ago. It is critical for the long term health of recently (within the last three years) planted trees and shrubs to have consistent water during their active growth cycle. Frequently the damage incurred from drought stress to plants does not appear for one or two growing seasons; usually when the weakened tree or shrub can’t fend off an attack from some pathogen. Please start watering your new/newer trees and shrubs, as needed.

Cut back leggy annuals to encourage new growthand more flowering. Petunias are a good example of an annual that will flower right through to frost, if refreshed by cutting them back by one third.

Are slugs becoming a nuisance? A home-made slug solution that works is: 9 parts water to 1 part ammonia. Spray on the affected plants just at dusk, before the slugs emerge for their nightly feed. When they touch this solution, they will vaporize!

Raise your mower height to 4” to conserve your lawn through the hot and drier days of July. The added height will help shade out lawn weeds too. If you can, water your lawn through prolonged dry spells, so it won’t go into dormancy. Watering deeply once a week, is far more effective than multiple shallow watering; and will promote better root development.

Japanese beetles usually appear during the second week of July. These voracious insects will feed on many kinds of ornamental trees, shrubs, roses, and fruit. Hand-pick Japanese beetles, if you’re not squeamish, then drown them in a can of soapy water to reduce adult populations. Consider starting a grub reduction program, to reduce future populations. Lawn grubs are the immature phase of this pest, and grub infestation goes hand in hand with mole and skunk damage on lawns. These mammals dig up turf in their quest to eat the grubs.

Don’t let your basil go to flower! Keep the plants pinched to encourage bushiness. It’s very easy to preserve your extra basil. I like to puree’ chopped fresh basil in a little extra virgin olive oil to create a paste; I freeze it into portions to use all through the winter.

Potted plants need extra TLC to keep looking beautiful all summer.Pots in the sun need deep watering (saturate the pots until water drains out) daily, and regular feeding to replace what you flush out with daily watering. We like to use a timed release fertilizer in the potting soil, and a weekly dose of water soluble fertilizer to keep our client’s plants looking good.

We are still receiving more than 15 hours of daylight, and plants are still in active growth, especially weeds! Many annual weeds will begin to set seeds soon, so it is important to keep up with weeding chores; to prevent the next cycle of weeds. If you have a weedy area you are thinking of clearing, consider using the solarization method; utilizing the heat of the sun to cook the weeds right down to the roots.

Massachusetts has pollinators aplenty, but they need our help!

When we think about pollinators, bees and butterflies immediately come to mind. You may not know that other animals and insects have a hand in pollinating, and many are represented here in MA.

Honeybees are not native to the US, but still play a huge role in commercial pollination. Our most familiar native bee is the bumble bee (family Bombus). A bumble bee likes to feed on clover; you can help them by planting a patch of clover; both red and white clover will grow in our region. Other types of MA bees are carpenter bees, (family Xylocopa) sweat bees (family Halictidae) and mining bees (family Andrenidae). Most of the lesser known bees are not at all aggressive, and rarely ever sting. Wasps are also considered pollinators, not as efficient as the bee, but they will transport pollen as they visit flowers to feed on nectar. A wasp’s larger benefit is their constant hunting for insect prey, which helps keep insect populations in check.

Native bees of eastern North America

A butterfly is considered second only to the bee in its pollinating efficiency, but did you know that moths also pollinate plants, but mainly at night. A moth’s hairy body contributes to its pollinating ability. Moths out-number the population of butterflies, and are also further divided into their own sub-order, Frenatae. Planting a ‘moon garden’ of white and light colored fragrant flowers will help attract moths. Moths particularly favor tubular flowers, like Nicotiana, Petunia, Calibrachoa, Moonflower, Phlox, and Hosta.Hummingbirds are the primary bird species for pollination in the US. In our area the native hummingbird is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. These busy, tiny birds, transfer pollen as it sticks to their face-feathers and beak. They are attracted to brightly colored, nodding, tubular flowers. They love Lantanas, Salvias, Phlox, Columbine, Honeysuckles, and Cardinal flower, to name a few. If you plant groups of these flowers, they will visit your garden frequently, and you need not bother with a fancy feeder.Certain animals and insects have perfected the art of mimicry as a survival tactic. Two flies native to MA have that mastered, and I would challenge the casual observer to tell them apart from their ‘real’ counterparts. The Flower fly mimics a wasp (family Syrphidae) so it will look scary and not get eaten. The Bee fly (family Bombyliidae) looks just like a bumble bee, and probably fools its predators most of the time. Both mimics are fuzzy enough insects to do a decent job transferring pollen, even without the pollen carrying leg baskets that real bees have.Beetles are some of our planet’s oldest known pollinators. Their remains have been found preserved with the flowers and pollen they lived on millions of years ago. It seems reasonable that beetles would prefer to pollinate the living descendants of ancient plant species. In Massachusetts beetles are responsible for pollinating native Magnolias, and the yellow-flowered water lily; they will also pollinate Sassafras, Paw-Paw (Asimina triloba), and Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus).Creating a haven for pollinator’s means planning for a more diverse yard. Planting native flowers and trees and shrubs, in addition to your imported plants, will attract a wider group of pollinators. Try to leave a portion of your outdoor space a little wild; for the wildlife. Let us make this our new mantra- “Leave it wild, for the Wildlife”.

Thinking ahead…

Creating a moon garden has two benefits, the same plans that will attract butterflies by day, will also lure moths at night. In choosing flowers, look for simple, single flowered shapes. The fully double varieties of some flowers make it very difficult for most pollinators to access the pollen and nectar. Here are a few ideas for flowers and shrubs that will beckon night visitors:

Hydrangea quercifolia, and Hydrangeaanomala petiolaris, The Oakleaf, and Climbinghydrangeas provide both nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies and moths. The Oakleaf hydrangea, has stunningly beautiful leaves, in addition to creamy white flowers, and will develop good purple fall leaf color. Climbing hydrangea can transform a wall or fence into a living lace curtain, when in bloom. Fall color is a golden yellow. Oakleaf Hydrangea will tolerate part shade, but will also thrive in full sun once established. Standard sized varieties can grow up to 15’ x 15’; compact types will stay at 4’ tall. Climbing Hydrangeas require sturdy, permanent support, and will grow up to 30’ tall. Like most hydrangeas, they like a full to partly sunny light exposure.

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Oakleaf Hydrangea’

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris, ‘Climbing Hydrangea’

Hibiscus syriacus, Rose of Sharon, is a misunderstood plant. When it is in bloom, it is very charming; having a tropical look that is very endearing to me. But if you don’t keep a firm hand on its growth it can become ratty looking in a few seasons. Because it blooms on new growth, it responds very well to hard pruning early each summer. By cutting out the skinny, twiggy branches, you will stimulate new vigorous shoots. Don’t baby this plant. Prefers full sun, but will tolerate light shade; grows 8-10’ tall x 6’ wide.

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart Rose of Sharon’

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Diana’

Achillea ‘Moondust’, Yarrow is a new compact version of an old garden reliable. The hundreds of tiny flowers provide a perfect landing pad for butterflies and moths. The foliage is a true silvery grey; the creamy pale yellow flowers will glow as evening fades. Yarrow needs full sun, and is drought tolerant. Grows 14” tall x 14” wide.

Achillea ‘Moondust’

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Lustre’, is a white flowered (purple) coneflower. As easy to grow as it’s purple colored cousin. There have been many new introductions to the Echinacea family, but the simple, single flowered forms are the best for pollinators. If you study the architecture of an Echinacea, you will see it is actually comprised of hundreds of tiny individual flowers in the center of each flower. Exactly the shape members of Lepidoptera prefer to feed on. Prefers full sun to light shade; grows up to 4’ tall x 2’ wide.

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Lustre’

Nicotiana sylvestris ‘Only the Lonely’, flowering tobacco; you’d have to grow it if not for the name alone, right? No night garden would be complete without the heady perfume of night blooming Nicotiana. This towering member of the nightshade family develops 4-5’ tall bloom spikes held like candelabras above the lime green foliage. Each tubular flower can be up to 30” long, beckoning some lucky moth for a sweet drink. ‘Only the Lonely’ Nicotiana will grow in full sun to partial shade, and prefers moist soil.

Countryside Corner Neighborly Garden News

Issue 67, November 2017

Are native cultivars as good for pollinators as native species?

There has been a growing demand for native plant material to address pollinator decline in the United States. Creating pollinator friendly landscapes has been promoted as having ecological benefits, and good for our environment. Consequently, this has led to the selection and breeding of native cultivars. A native cultivar or ‘nativar’ is a cultivated variety of a native plant that has been cross-bred and/or hybridized by plant breeders seeking certain desirable traits. The flowers of nativars may vary from native species by the size, shape, color, abundance and bloom time. These attributes are known to affect pollinator behavior; how and when pollinators will visit the flowers. Nativars are also bred and selected for disease resistance and more garden friendly sizes; which could make them more desirable landscape plants.

However, when humans choose traits they find attractive, such as double flowers or unusual colors, these traits may be less alluring to pollinators, and actually decrease the quantity, quality, and accessibility of the plant’s nectar and pollen. Generally, only native species are used in land restoration projects, however nativars are widely used in the landscape industry; it is actually hard to find true native species at local garden centers, it is almost impossible to find a non-cultivated variety of Echinacea purpurea these days.

With agencies like the ‘National Pollinator Garden Network’, and ‘Pollinator Health Task Force’ working to register and improve millions of acres of land and pollinator gardens, it is crucial that we investigate how nativars compare to native species. Do they perform the same ecological functions in pollinator habitats? Annie S. White, doctoral student of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont, has been studying this topic since 2011. Under the guidance of Dr. Leonard Perry, she established identical experimental pollinator gardens in northern Vermont locations (zones 4a and 4b). Ms. White has been studying pollinator visitation to 12 native species, and 14 nativars, evaluating garden performance, and nectar production.

One very strong trend was observed across all species evaluated; the more manipulated the cultivars became, the less attractive they were to pollinators. Nativars that were the result of many repeated breeding selections had significantly fewer visits from pollinators. However, some nativars attracted as many, or more pollinators than the species. These were typically those varieties that were selected from open pollinated seed nativars such as: Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’.

Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’

The nativar Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’ (aka ‘Lavender Towers’) unexpectedly attracted many more pollinators than the native species, and actually performed better as well. The results strengthen the idea that there is potential to select and market those varieties that have more appeal to our pollinators.

which is pollinated by hummingbirds, has been hybridized and also crossed with the native Lobelia siphilitca (which is bumble bee pollinated). The resulting plants have beautiful flowers, but offer decreased volumes of nectar, and nectar sugars than the unhybridized species. These plants will grow well, and be very showy in the garden, but the pollinators will be rewarded with 20% less of the nectar energy than they would receive from the native species, according to Ms. White. Results may vary regionally, but the research done by Ms. White shows that pollinators, and particularly bees, show strong preferences for native species of flowers. She suggests limiting nativar use in pollinator gardens to those that are open-pollinated and seed grown. Cultivars that differ significantly in color and appearance from the native species, should be used only sparingly, and those cultivars derived from crosses of two species should be avoided for use in pollinator habitat restoration.

November’s ‘to-do’ list

Keep watering woody plants until the ground freezes. We have had very dry conditions through the fall, and this can have a negative impact on the health of our trees and shrubs. Evergreens, especially, need to go into winter well hydrated to avoid winter injury, caused by desiccation. Newly planted evergreens may benefit from a timely application of an anti-desiccant type spray, to help minimize winter drying.

There is still time to transplant deciduous trees and shrubs; as long as the ground remains unfrozen, and weather permits. Their roots will continue to grow even though they’ve dropped their leaves. Be sure to water them regularly, and mulch the roots well to retain moisture.

Target areas where rodents and moles might congregate and do damage over the winter. Remove any heavy buildup of fallen plants and wet matted down leaves, attractive places for them to hide. If you’ve had severe rodent damage previously, you may have to put out traps or baits to reduce the population. Protect young, and thin barked tree species with hardware cloth secured around the lower trunk. This will help stop rodents from gnawing, and thus ‘girdling’ trees. When trees are girdled, bark has been mostly or completely removed around the entirety of the trunk, and can kill the tree.

Prune out any rampant suckers from your lilacs. These take away energy needed to put out flowers. Suckers are the vigorous shoots that emerge from the base of the plant. Leave any major pruning until next year, after the lilacs bloom.

If you’d like to plant aliving Christmas tree this year, dig a hole now before the ground freezes, and mulch the hole with straw covered with a tarp to keep the soil workable.

Finish clearing out gutters before it snows. Clogged gutters create ice dams later in the winter; which may lead to leaks and roof damage.

Most houseplants will be going dormant now. Reduce your plants watering schedule, and skip fertilizing them until new growth begins again in the spring. However, their need for humidity is still greater than most home environments. Lack of humidity also creates optimal conditions for mealy bugs and scale insects. I usually mist my orchids daily in the winter, and grow them on pebble filled trays. My fall and winter blooming orchids are in active growth, and actually require more work now than in the summer.

Hang out suet feeders to encourage insectivorous birds to keep scouring your garden for bugs. They will continue to hunt for insects, just beginning to hide for the winter, throughout your beds. Consider adding bird friendly shrubs for food and shelter throughout the seasons to your garden. Even if you feed birds, they still need a place to fly back to quickly; to escape from predators. Sparrow hawks in particular love to swoop down on bird feeders and snatch away unsuspecting birds.

Clean up all dropped fruit and other debris from beneath your fruit trees. Pests and diseases can overwinter in the plant matter, ready to re-infest your trees next spring.

Now that roses are dormant, prune them back to 18” and use mulch to cover the bud union to 6” deep. Protect the canes with a rose cone, or tie the canes together and wrap them with burlap.

Need help getting your home and yard ready for the holidays? Countryside Landscape can help with outdoor and indoor decorating; wreaths, Balsam roping, trees and lights.

Winter is a good time for pruning; sap loss is minimal, causing less stress to the plant. The risk of infection by plant pathogenic fungi & insects will be minimized too, as they are dormant now. When the leaves are off deciduous trees and shrubs, you get a better view of the true shape of the plant.

To begin, make sure your pruning tools are clean & sharp. Tree branches grow from stems at nodes & pruning always takes place on the branch side of a stem-branch node. Branches and stems are separated by a thin piece of tissue called a stem collar which grows out from the stem at the base of the branch. All cuts should be made on the branch side of the stem collar. This protects the stem, & other branches growing from it, and allows the plant to heal cleanly.

Performing the 3-cut method illustrated, helps ensure a clean cut without tearing the bark. To help minimize stress, do not take off more than 25% of the crown in a pruning session.

Thinking ahead…

Do you feed birds through the winter? Try planting trees and shrubs to provide a living winter food source for our feathered friends. Birds also need a protected area to roost, and shelter from storms.

Ilex verticillata-Winter-berry Holly is an outstanding native plant. This deciduous holly bears bright red berries, very attractive to birds, and great for Christmas decorating. There is also an orange fruited variety. Grows 3-8’ tall, depending on the cultivar.

Picea-The Spruce family are stately conifers, which offer tasty cones for seed eating birds. There are native as well as non-native species available as nursery trees. Spruce also provide necessary shelter from winter storms and a place to roost. Most Spruce are full sized trees, growing 40-60’ tall.

Picea glauca

Picea glauca cones

Juniperus virginiana-Eastern Red Cedar and its cultivars bear firm berries that persist throughout the year; ready for hungry birds. A handsome native tree or shrub; Junipers are excellent for creating a sheltered area for birds. There are many cultivars to choose from, grows from 3-40’ tall.

Countryside Corner Neighborly Garden News

Issue 62, June 2017

Pollinators; we need more birds and bees!

The drought in California has ended after an abnormally wet winter out west. As of last month, Massachusetts is officially out of drought also. However, threats to pollinators continue to be at the forefront of agriculture. Drought conditions had reduced the amount of plants bees feed on. Exposure to pesticides and other agricultural chemicals have weakened many hives, and wild bees have declined too.

Beekeepers have had to supplement the hives with processed ‘bee food’, or they will weaken and die out. Without natural wildflowers and crops for bees to feed on, beekeeping becomes hard to keep sustainable.

The list of crop plants that require some kind of bee to pollinate them has hundreds of entries. The result of pollination is not just the food on our table, but the seed produced, required to grow our food. Our native bees are as diverse a group, as we humans are. There are ground dwelling bees, solitary and stingless bees. Some resemble flies more than bees, and certain flies mimic bees. Bumblebees are the most easily recognized of our native bees, they have the most northern habitat of any bee species. Bumblebees are being raised to pollinate greenhouse tomatoes via ‘buzz pollination’. Tomatoes are wind pollinated, and this assists them in a closed environment. No other pollinators can do this.

We can help our native pollinators, including hummingbirds, by ensuring they have access to food, water, nesting areas, and shelter. By tweaking our design and cultural practices, weed and insect management, we can foster landscapes that will support a balanced eco-system including a diverse population of pollinators.

Native bees nest in many different kinds of habitats; ground nesting bees are the most common, and need bare patches of well drained, sunny soil. Cavity dwelling bees will welcome bundles of hollow reeds or bamboo for nesting. You can purchase pre-made nesting blocks for cavity dwelling bees from online garden retailers. When placing out bee blocks or other nesting material, be sure to provide protection from sun and wind exposure.

Planting pollinator friendly plants in clumps throughout your garden space, and repeating them in other areas will create a richer environment avoiding the ‘isolated island’ effect of having only one or two pollinator friendly plants. Butterflies are pollinators too, provide plants for caterpillars to graze on, and you will have many butterflies.

A diverse palette of flowering plants will benefit native pollinators. If possible try and leave an area un-mowed, or only mowed once a month to achieve an undisturbed area. When doing garden clean-ups be aware that some pollinators will over winter in fallen logs, and under leaves. If we can allow a little disorder in our environment, pollinators may soon inhabit these niches, performing nature’s little miracle; pollination.

June’s ‘to-do’ list:

This month would be a good tosort through your accumulation of garden chemicals, and re-assess how necessary they really are. Can a pollinator friendly alternative be used? Are there any more effective cultural methods to achieve your end result? New ideas and methods are always being updated, the UMASS website has up-to-the-minute advice for the home gardener.

Now is the best time to prune and shape your spring flowering trees and shrubs;right after bloom time. This allows them to form buds through the growing season for next year’s bloom. Examples are: Forsythia, Lilac, Azalea, and Magnolia. July 4th is considered the last safe date to prune Lilacs before they set flower buds for next season.

Bulb foliage should be allowed to fade naturally; allowing the bulb to benefit from the nutrition the leaves provide it. You can cut or mow the bulb foliageafter June 30th.

According to the CDC, May and June are the peak months for Lyme disease infections. We use the product ‘Tick Free’, which is 100% organic and very effective for eradicating ticks, yet completely safe for people, pets, and beneficial non-target insects. Please contact our spray program manager, Herb Severs, for details.

Japanese beetles will be back during the first week of July. We recommend a two-pronged approach for their control; weekly applications of a contact insecticide, to target the emerging adults, and a systemic product applied to the soil that will control the larvae. Their favorite plants include roses, hydrangeas, and fruit trees, and they are very efficient at destroying these lovely plants.

Prune and shape evergreens once the new growth ages to a darker green color. If the plant is very overgrown, better results will be achieved with gradual trimming rather than a drastic cut. Pruning too much growth risks killing the entire branch. Unsure how much you can safely prune? Countryside offers professional pruning services and summer shearing.

There’s nothing like pulling weeds to settle your mind after a busy day at the office. Common household white vinegar is very effective for killing annual weeds. It is particularly useful for those problem areas between paving stones, and gravel walkways. Just be careful about spraying onto any favored plants; it will not discriminate between ‘good plants’ and weeds. Apply it on a hot sunny day, and the weeds will be dying in 24 hrs. Perennial weeds, might take a few more applications to rid them from the garden.

Bugs with Benefits

Let’s start by saying that all bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. The true bugs are in the order Hemiptera, includes aphids, leafhoppers, and cicadas. The defining features of these insects are the mouthparts which have evolved into a beak-like proboscis that is used to pierce plant tissues, and suck up the sap.

Caterpillars can be garden pests, but the immature stage of butterflies and moths feeds 96% of our terrestrial bird species. They are the ideal food for baby birds; full of essential nutrients. In actuality very few species of caterpillar eat crops or ornamental plants. The majority live on wild native plants.

Crickets are called the unsung heroes of nutrient recycling. Their job is to aid in the breakdown of leafy organic matter, which is bound up in a tough layer of cellulose. By chewing leaves up into smaller pieces, the cricket accelerates the decomposition process, allowing plants to access the nutrients each leaf holds.

Robber Flies, Tachinid Flies, and Parasitic Wasps are the sharks of the insect world. They all work to keep other insect populations in check. Robber Flies will even catch tough Japanese beetles. Make them welcome by allowing a few rotten logs to remain; their larvae develop in this environment while they feed on wood boring insects.

European honeybees are used to pollinate our food crops; 35% of our crops will not set seed or fruit until pollen is transferred from flower to flower. Bumblebees and the other 4,000 species of indigenous bees are the pollinators of our native plants, which support our ecosystems. We can help our native pollinators by increasing plant diversity, and growing flowers to provide nectar the whole season long. Pussy willow catkins provide early spring nectar. American Linden is known as the ‘bee tree’, it is that attractive to native bees. Let some of your yard remain wild, for our beneficial bugs.

Thinking Ahead…

A tree in full bloom is a sight to behold. But what is it? We receive a lot of calls in the spring asking if we can name the type of tree blooming on ‘XYZ’ Street. Here are a few of the best for spectacular spring time blooms.

Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula’ Weeping Higan Cherry is a graceful tree, blooming before leaves emerge in April. Pink flowers cascade down the arching branches, and sway in the slightest breeze. Prefers full sun, and will grow 25’ tall X 25’ wide.

Cercis canadensis, the Eastern Redbud is one of our showiest native trees. It is tolerant of various soil types, and prefers some wind protection. The rosy-pink flowers bloom along bare branches; usually in May. Newer cultivars include weeping forms and also gold-leaved varieties. Grows to 20’ tall x 20’ wide.